


I awake to see that no one is free

by whynotcherries



Series: Crisis Averted [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s01e09 Changes, Gen, No Incest, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Sad Luther Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, he just realizes he messed up and tries to fix it, it kinda works i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22555495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynotcherries/pseuds/whynotcherries
Summary: Luther comes back to get Vanya out of the cage when he decides that he messed up.
Relationships: Luther Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: Crisis Averted [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616014
Comments: 9
Kudos: 218





	I awake to see that no one is free

Never in a million years did Luther think that Klaus would be the person to convince him to do _anything_. At least, not anything in terms of being a leader. In terms of being Number One.

How he finds himself back downstairs, standing in the middle of the entrance to the room he’d put Vanya in, he really can’t say. But, here he is.

Something about the way Klaus had _begged_ him, how he’d been so adamant that they let her go. It had made him feel- well, it made him feel like a crappy brother, for the most part. 

It had mostly been afterwards, when Klaus looked so _distraught_ , and Luther remembered the entire family running off to Griddy’s after Klaus showed up from personal training, his eyes red from crying, his fingers bloody from trying to escape someplace, which he’d later revealed to be a mausoleum…

He can barely stand the image of it as he stares at Vanya through the glass, clearly exhausted from trying to get out, her hands in a similar state to how he remembered Klaus’s being as a kid- bloody, red, nails broken…

Bloody.

Like Allison’s throat had been a few hours ago.

_Let her go._

_My fault._

It’s what Allison wanted from him, it’s what she had physically fought against him for, right up until the moment that she nearly passed out from the exertion.

He steps forwards, and he sees Vanya step back from the door. 

His mind flashes back to them as kids, sitting in the living room on a rainy day. Dad on a business trip, Mom sitting and reading them a book, Vanya sitting on his leg. They had never been close, even back then, but they had certainly been closer than now.

He sees that Vanya in his head, and he regrets ever putting her in that box in the first place.

He takes another step and puts his hands on the wheel, turning it in almost a single try. 

The door opens with a hiss, but Vanya stays in the middle of the room.

She stands far away from him, not daring to move an inch. “Can I come out now?” she rasps, her voice wet and hoarse from the screaming and crying she’d done in an effort to get someone to let her go.

He doesn’t know what to say.

He wants to say he’s sorry, that he had been scared, that he didn’t mean to hurt her, but there’s no good way to do that. No good way to sound sincere. 

He nods, stepping back, trying to give her the space to get out without needing to be too close, to be too uncomfortable.

She doesn’t move. 

“Really?” she asks, starting to tear up again, and _god, he should’ve brought Klaus with him_. Klaus knows how to deal with this whole feelings thing much better than he does.

He nods again, not sure what to say without sounding even _more_ like a jackass.

She takes in a deep, shaky breath, and takes a tentative step forward, like she’s afraid that he’ll close the door on her the second she gets too excited. 

He can’t say he blames her.

Instead of avoiding him, she steps forward, and with the same reluctant pace she walked out with, she wraps her arms loosely around his middle.

He can’t help but think how _small_ she is, how he locked her up in that room without _anything_. He used to be so protective of her, so ready to defend her, knowing that she couldn’t defend herself. Maybe the fact that she could now had changed that for him.

He puts his hands on her back, keeping himself from touching her neck as much as possible.

She takes another shaky breath in, “Thank you,” she mumbles, before stepping back and walking away from him.

He’s not quite sure what he’s done to be thanked, but he’s not about to argue with her.


End file.
